LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Despite receiving three double-doubles, the Auburn University at Montgomery volleyball team dropped a road Gulf South Conference match to West Alabama on Thursday night in five sets.

NOTES
- AUM's record falls to 16-12 on the year, with a 7-6 conference mark.
- West Alabama improves 10-19 with a 4-9 record in GSC action.
- The Tigers won the match 25-19, 18-25, 21-25, 25-22 15-12.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Nyah Whittlesey, Sommer Rhea and Giada Pais-Marden all recorded double-doubles in the match.
- Whittlesey led the Warhawks in kills for the second-straight match with 14. 
- Isadora Nicolai netted 43 assists and two service aces in the loss.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- West Alabama jumped out to a 3-1 lead very early in the first set. However, their initial margin was erased thanks to a pair of Tiger attack errors and a kill from Jaylyn Felder to give the Warhawks their first lead of the game at 5-3. The Tigers then responded with a streak of their own, eventually tying the first set 6-6 and netting five straight scores to take an 11-6 lead. The Orange & Black cut the lead down to one shortly after the lengthy UWA run, thanks to two kills from Nicolai to trim the deficit to one. However, despite the comeback, the Tigers were able to pull away from AUM and would take the opening frame 25-19.     
- AUM responded early in the second set by taking six of the first seven points of the second frame and lept out to a 6-1 lead. The Warhawks extended their stronghold later in the second set, thanks to four straight points highlighted by kills from Whittlesey, Felder and Pais-Marden to give the Warhawks an 18-10 advantage. Despite not going on a significant run for the remainder of the set, the Orange & Black captured a 25-18 victory to even the match at a game each.   
- The two sides were deadlocked at the beginning of the third set as neither side was able to gain a significant advantage. AUM went on the first extended streak of the game, taking a 12-8 lead thanks to kills from Rhea and Ariadne Borges. The Warhawks continued their hot play later in the third set by taking five consecutive points thanks to lackluster attacking from West Alabama to run the score to 18-11. The Orange & Black would not relinquish this lead and would go on to record their second-straight set win, taking a 2-1 match advantage.  
- The fourth set looked like a carbon copy of the third as both sides traded the first 14 points in the fourth frame to run the score to 7-7. West Alabama had the biggest run of the set to separate themselves from AUM by recording six straight points to take a 13-7 lead. Maria Nicolau would register a kill to stop the bleeding, but the Tigers gained five straight points immediately after to strengthen their grip to 18-8. The Tigers 10-point margin would not dissipate as West Alabama took the fourth set 25-22.
- West Alabama started the deciding frame in excellent fashion as the Tigers raced out to a 7-3 lead, forcing an AUM timeout. The Warhawks brought the lead down to 10-8 thanks to a kill from Sommer Rhea and an attack error from Ally Craig. The Orange & Black would later cut the lead down to one on a block from Borges and Pais-Marden, but the Tigers took the next three points to lead 14-10, and would eventually take the final set 15-12 and win the match.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Despite the loss, AUM had the lead in kills 60-58.
- UWA hit .183 in the match while holding AUM to a .144 attack percentage.
- The Tigers held a slight advantage on digs, netting 92 to AUM's 91.   

QUOTING THE COACH
"We did not execute the game plan well tonight," said head coach Flavia Siqueira. "We also hit at a low percentage, which is something we definitely need to improve on moving forward."

UP NEXT
AUM volleyball will return to action on Friday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. when they travel to Clinton, Miss. to take on the Mississippi College Lady Choctaws.       
 
For the latest on AUM athletics, find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.